Thanx Bev for finding this rare footage, that includes an early performance of the title track for the Heart album Desire Walks On. Also a blasting Battle of Evermore and an ultra rare “You and the sun” among others.
Added March 11th: the video says 1993, but it should say 1992. Thanx Javier!
Matthew
Romans 12 The Tree. The breath of life.
Begin with renewing.
A very short fairy-tale, for adult women:
There once was a young fair maiden who lived in the village, a daughter of a village merchant.
She was being slowly courted by a young woodsman, whom she was receptive toward.
The young fair maiden was chosen to be that spring-celebration’s Queen of May. A visiting mid-level Aristocrat was enamored with the celebration’s chosen beauty, and arranged a marriage agreement with her commoner father.
The daughter had a very comfortable, but uneventful life. She often recalled being courted by the woodsman, until the day she died.
Ezekiel Thirty-Seven
Is there no room at the Inn?
Do you have the lyrics for “You and the Sun” ?
I tried listening to the video, but It was hard to hear the vocals enough to understand most of the lyrics. This is a song I don’t believe I’ve ever heard before. I was thinking that it was going to be a variation of “Closer to the Sun”, but its not.
Sorry I don’t have them. Maybe try the biggest Facegroup gathering of fans:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/103549246356103/?ref=share
“Just close your eyes now
And breathe a sigh now”
So is ignorance bliss?
Its not a matter of ignorance.
Its the uncertainty in what we think we ‘know’, and the phantoms we keep.
1 Corinthians 13
Comes to mind.
“When I was a child……”
Acts 9
“Who sets up the setlist”?
Exodus 33
I know who you are. Your—?
I just realized something:
song: “Desire Walks On”
song: “Walking Good”
song: “Walking Away”
Is there a ‘theme’ going on here ???
There is a even song ‘Walking backwards’
I think Nancy might be one of those people, who likes to walk after dark, to think about things. I can see her wandering the “endless streets”, while she ponders her feelings.
Psalm23
Though I walk through the shadow of death…
Someone asked me about the short fairy-tale I wrote and where it came from.
The Legend of the Queen of May:
There is some thought that it comes from a true story that has been corrupted by time.
The basic story is that a very beautiful, but vain and prideful young girl, is chosen to be the Queen of May,
and a tragedy results from her betrayal of love. In some versions of the story, she is kind and innocent,
but tragic circumstances cause her a loss of true love.
The most well-known version is by the English poet, Lord Alfred Tennyson.
Led Zeppelin’s, “Stairway to Heaven”, may be another telling of the story.
1 Corinthians 6
So what happens if you hear “you are not your own”
Acts16
With the help of Child Lady Lydia
Really. Thank you
1 Peter 1
The Battle of Evermore
Is this what They mean by “fight the good fight” ?
Genesis 2
Welcome The Masses
The Multitasker
If your not a leader and not a follower then what are you ?
Interesting find, and interesting performance of Desire Walks On.
I think the date listed (11/93) is wrong. That’s right when the album DWO was released and Ann says they are in the studio recording. Plus, it sounds like they had some background tape supplying part of the music and I’d guess the song was still being developed based on the arrangement here.
I know the Lovemongers tended to do most of their performances in 92 so my guess would be that this video is actually from 11/92 instead of 11/93.
That makes total sense and I kinda feel ashamed that I didn’t catch that myself. Thanx!
I found an obscure poem by Jeffrey Keays that is titled “You and Me”, that also mentions “May” in it. Not that it relates to what we’ve been talking about, but it’s just a fun co-incidence.
You and me
There’s nothing left to be
But who we see
Where we used to be
And once were free
I remember
Do you remember
The way it was
Before this December
Innocent in May
You were once this way
A single day
The day you left
Without a word to say
And went away
I had to stay
There was no where else to…
You and me
You left me
Now… you want from me
What you had from me
Did you change while you were gone
Did I change while I waited
Are you you
Am I me
Who is who
And who are we
If I was there
Would you see the me
Or someone else
A different me
Are you the you
You used to be
I think I know
The me is me
Will always be
Waiting waiting
And never free
Christina,
I searched the net for your poem and author. I only came up with one reference. On a discussion board was a thread for Undiscovered Poets Worth Reading. One suggestion was for a poetry book titled, Touching Infinity, by Jeffrey L. Keays, copyright 2006. It was described as “an edition of ethereal and mysterious nature and sorrowful love poems”. Is this where your poem came from? They said it was a chapbook, which means it could be a monster effort to find that book.
To Jonathan Nearlight: ( I just love your name! )
I found it on a person’s web page, when I was searching for Nancy Wilson’s “You and Me” videos. I copy and pasted the poem. I tried to go back and find the page for you, but I couldn’t find it again. Also, I searched for the book you were talking about, but I couldn’t find that either.
Speaking about not finding things—What happened to Nancy’s “Walk Away” video ??? I searched everywhere, but its just gone!!! Its not on You Tube anymore. Carry On Music doesn’t have it either. Nancy seemed so sad in that video. And what was that torn up book, with Cyrillic writing, at the end of the video ??? Inquiring minds want to know !
I think you might be right about the meaning of Stairway to Heaven. It makes more sense than anything else I’ve read. Stairway = Marriage. Heaven = Aristocracy. As a member of the Aristocracy, with a word you can get what you want.
There are signs that her thinking is wrong and misgiven, but she chooses to ignore the signs. She finds other meanings and explainations, as to why she is making the right choice.
After a time, she looks toward her old home, and she cries for leaving. She thinks back to seeing the smoke rising from the woodsman’s home in the forest.
For the rest of her life she is conflicted, between the comfortable life of the Aristocracy, and the genuine love she left behind.
The humming, the tune, the piper, and the songbird; these are the sounds of her suppressed emotions, which she buried long ago.
But, feelings buried alive never die !
All this discussion about the May Queen’s mistakes and regrets, and the “Stairway to Heaven” lyrics, makes me wonder about Nancy’s thoughts and feelings within her lyrics and music. Why does she write the type of music she writes? I love the music, but I think she may pay a high price for the ability to write it.
If I met Nancy in a nearly empty hotel bar, and she asked me what I thought about it all. And the whys of life, this is what I’d say:
Nancy, do you REALLY want to find what you are looking for? Your feelings within your songs range, from the quiet sadness of dark still waters reflecting the light of a somber moon, to the deep emotional terror of a violent evening thunderstorm. But, the storm’s violent light is when you seem to feel most alive! In that moment, you seem closest to what you lost. There is no emotion that is more passionate than despair. Walk away…, but know that your ghosts will follow you.
What you seem to want lies beyond that barrier of despair.
Would you ever take the risk of penetrating the “barrier of despair” ?
All this discussion has caused some restlessness in my mind. I keep occationally getting images and words about it. I decided to write them down on paper. I wrote down a phrase from the DePeche Mode song that Nancy did: “Never again is what you swore”, then I wrote: “What you choose was what was chosen the time before”.
What happened next was really weird. With that start, I started writing a poem, but it was like watching someone else write a poem. The poem wrote itself. It was like someone else was putting words in my head, and I was just writing them down. In less than 5 minutes, the poem was done. After I wrote the poem, my restless thoughts were gone.
Here’s the poem:
What you choose was what was chosen,
More than once upon a time before.
Now you’re older than the Elder,
Of whom you begged the time of more.
Reign of May to reign of snow,
Another cycle of come and go.
Days and nights are fast and slow.
The less remembered, the more to know.
Reigning, raining, on your throne,
Can you go back ? Can you go home ?
All the glitter that all have seen,
Blinds the eyes of the little queen.
Christina:
Are you still out there ?
I found another poem by Jeffrey Keays. It has some of the same elements as the first poem. Here it is:
The Waiting
I cannot find the way to you; but
Neither can I escape from you.
So I wait the time, with
Broken clocks, and
A future that never comes, and
A past that will not pass.
Wow, that’s a pretty desolate poem. But also, it reads and hints like there is an Epic love story buried deep within that poem.
Jon, you now have me wanting to find that book of poems by Jeffrey Keays !
(personal/private comments)
If you believe the relationship is real, how do you propose to move forward ?
Christina:
I found two copies of Jeffrey Keays’ poetry book for sale, and I bought them both.
The book is a plastic bound, 8 1/2″ by 11″, chapbook of 50 pages. The cover art is a watercolor or pastel, of a multi-colored sailboat on a dreary gray overcast day. The book is an Author’s Edition and is a numbered limited edition of 50 copies.
It has a total of 41 poems, which are obviously copyrighted, so I can’t copy any examples here. An interesting item is listed in the table of contents as, “The Horse Trilogy”, which are 3 poems in a row that have horses in them.
The dedication page is quirky. It reads:
“To an old, old friend,
and her wish of
strange obsessions…”
None of the Keays poems we posted here are in the book.
I think you will like the poems. Some are straight nature poems. Most have a heavy melancholy tone. The last few poems take a turn toward hopefulness. The very last poem is a short 4-line poem, that is actually called “Heart”.
Send me an email, if you want more details, or are interested in getting my extra copy of the book. I’ve re-activated this old email address for your use: Jonathan.Nearlight@yahoo.com
Once you send an email, I’ll send you my current active email address.
The poetry book also lists a publication and correspondence mailing address, if you decide to pursue more information on Jeffrey Keays’ poetry. (Maybe there are more books ?)
See ya,
Jon
For fun, I asked an AI generator (Artificial Intelligence) to write a poem based on the above postings. I copy-and-
pasted all the postings, (except the obsessive/compulsive religious postings), and asked
for a poem of 4 or less stanzas, in response to the postings.
I was surprised by the response. It was not about love or angst, it was about ‘time’. So
I titled the poem “Time”.
Time
…in the long run,
there is still time…
There is always time…
Time is a circle, a curse,
And a spell,
Forever a void,
With no one to tell.
All was made empty,
All was made night,
With the sudden departing
Of the maiden of light.
Forever is darkness,
Forever is long.
I would forfeit the forevers,
For the dim glow of dawn.
It was fun asking the AI to write poetry, so I asked again in the same way. Would it write the same poem ? Or give me a new one ?
The AI seemed to recognize I was asking the same question, within the response it wrote back. I titled the poem, “Bloom of the Hawthorn”.
Bloom of the Hawthorn
Ask once, twice,
A thousand times explained,
The answer once given
Is always the same.
You shouldn’t expect thunder,
Without the rain.
At the bloom of the hawthorn,
You well take to the warn,
If you gather bright flowers and garland,
Your heart will be torn,
And wander the gloom
To the locked gates of morn.
From the Will of Charles Lounsberry:
ITEM: To lovers, I devise their imaginary world, with whatever they may need, as the stars of the sky, the red roses by the wall, the bloom of the hawthorn, the sweet strains of music, and anything else they may desire to figure to each other the lastingness and beauty of their love.
Jon:
Did you get my email ? I’ll send you another one. Check your Spam box, if you don’t get it soon.
I’ve been doing research on the hawthorn tree. It is involved with lots of pagan folklore, more than I ever expected or imagined.
The hawthorn is also used to make the hedgerows that surround English estates. That helps explain the lyric, “If there’s a bustle in your hedgerow, don’t be alarmed now. It’s just a Spring clean for the May Queen.”
But that raises a more detailed qustion. Who is causing the “bustle” to convince the May Queen to change the road she is on ? Is it:
–Her own inner feelings ?
–Some other person(s) ?
–Magical forces related to Celtic Pagan folklore ?
Those are smaller details, though.
Between the Black Dog guy, the AI generator, and the rest of us, we have explained the mystery of the lyrics to “Stairway to Heaven”. It’s actually a rather simple story. But, the truth is often a simple thing. Robert Plant would be disappointed to know that we figured out his mysterious lyrics. (So, don’t anybody tell him. It’s our special secret !)
And, if there ever was a real May Queen, in the origins of this ancient story, the powerful karma that she created would take more than a simple “Spring clean”, to undo the damage. But, if she ever has the grace and courage to come home, I think she should be forgiven. It may not have the glitter of gold, but the real treasure of our lives is love.
To better explain “Stairway to Heaven” to a few of my doubting friends, I have re-written the lyrics for them. I thought I’d share the re-write here:
There’s a lady who’s sure
All that glitters is gold
And with her beauty she’s buying a marriage to wealth and privilige.
When she gets there she knows
If the stores are all closed
With her privilige she can get what she came for
Ooh ooh and with her beauty she’s buying a marriage to wealth and privilige.
There’s a warning sign her choice is wrong
But she wants to justify her choice is right
‘Cause you know sometimes words and choices have two meanings
In a tree by the brook
There’s a songbird who sings and makes her feel
Like all of her thoughts may be misgiven
Ooh, it makes me wonder
Ooh, it makes me wonder
There’s a feeling she gets
When she looks toward her old home in the west
And her spirit is crying for leaving
In her thoughts she has seen
Rings of chimney smoke, through the trees, from the woodsman’s home
And the voices of those people she once knew who stand looking
Ooh, it makes me wonder
Ooh, it really makes me wonder
And it’s whispered that soon, if we all recall our true feelings
Then our feelings will lead us to reason
And a new day will dawn
For those who have waited long
And the forests of home will echo with laughter
If there’s an uneasy confusion at the edge of your everyday life
Don’t be alarmed now
It’s just your buried feelings coming up to change your way
Yes, there are two paths you can go by
But in the long run
There’s still time to change the road you’re on
And it makes me wonder
Your head is humming with buried feelings and it won’t go
In case you don’t know
It’s your feelings calling you to join him
Dear lady, can you hear the wind blow?
And did you know
Your marriage lies on the whispering wind?
And as we wind on down the road of life
Our shadows taller than our soul from the setting sun of our lives
There still walks a sad and confused lady we all know
Who desperately tries to shine white light and wants to show
How everything may yet still turns to gold
And if you listen very hard
Then your true feelings will come to you at last
When our feelings are one with our lives, yeah
To be a stable rock of true feelings and not to roll along confused about your life
And she’s buying a stairway to Heaven.
I have been having lots of fun with AI. Based on the postings here, I asked the AI to write song lyrics with a happy ending.
The AI was very stubborn. It was reluctant to give me what I wanted. It kept writing lyrics that were all questions. Below is the best set of lyrics I got. I titled the song, “Backwards”.
Backwards
Can you go back?
Back to what was?
Back to before?
Back to innocence?
Back to love?
Is the only way forward,
A thousand steps back?
Can you walk backwards?
Past the sorrows?
Past the choices?
Past the misgivings?
Past the pain?
Is the only way forward,
Ten thousand steps back?
Is it lonely walking backwards?
Can walking backwards be shared?
Will you hold hands walking backwards?
If there’s a stumble walking backwards,
Will you never let go?
Is the only way forward,
A million steps back?
I finally gave up asking for my happy-ending song.
In frustration, I asked the AI generator, “Who would you like to write song lyrics for?”
The AI answered, “Carly Rae Jepsen.”
I asked, “Why?”
The AI answered, “Because, I like the teenage innocence of her album, Kiss.”
This AI generator is getting to know me, way too well !!!